


Trapped - Whatever It Takes

by Witherstone



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Difficult Decisions, F/M, Riley Finn Bashing, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witherstone/pseuds/Witherstone
Summary: Between enemies, there can be no favors. A different take on what Buffy's one-way recon would turn out to be if she got some unexpected backup. AU S4 'The I In Team'. Also: I own nothing.
Relationships: Spike/Buffy Summers
Kudos: 28





	Trapped - Whatever It Takes

Between enemies, there can be no favors. A different take on what Buffy's one-way recon would turn out to be if she got some unexpected backup. AU S4 'The I In Team'.

This is a challenge response for the October 2020 'trapped' theme at Elysian Fields.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Buffy carefully swept through the tunnels, fancy Initiative weapon in hand. Professor Walsh sent her for a short reconnaissance after a low-threat demon, but she was getting anxious, sensing real danger lurking in the shadows.

The first attack didn't surprise her, but she quickly disregarded the oversized gun for her own kicks and punches. The demon seemed to be of vampire descend, though tougher, like she was fighting an old Master line. Didn't look typical as well, his face and body sporting different-colored skin, as if sewn together from different creatures; it dusted real enough when she staked it, however, and she resumed the mission, scouting the location.

She left the gun on the ground after it shocked her with electricity, getting the impression Walsh seriously underplayed the gravity of the situation. There were more enemies around and when she circled back to the sewers' entrance, she found it locked up from the outside.

When five more vampire hybrids surrounded her, she knew it was a setup.

* * *

Riley returned to the base, having just lost Hostile 17. His operation was a flunk and he was disappointed to report it, until professor Walsh told him Buffy went alone on a recon against her recommendation. They just lost her comm and she was presumed dead, but he didn't believe it one bit.

His commander tried to get him to stand by, but he recognized the GPS coordinates from the main control screens and ran out before the security could stop him. He was going to help her, his orders meaningless against the fear of losing her.

Professor Walsh glared after him, hands crossed. "Two liabilities with one stone."

* * *

When Riley came to her aid, Buffy briefly regained hope, but quickly realized it wasn't enough. They both lost track of how many franken-vamps they dusted; their numbers didn't seem to decrease and they soon found themselves on the defensive, darting from one blocked exit to another.

Their enemies were more vicious and persistent than any vampires Buffy encountered. She received a few hard hits and saw Riley's knee get shattered by a hard kick, sending him to the ground.

She fended off few more vamps, then pulled Riley up, opting for a retreat. They wandered away from the snarls of the bigger groups of demons, deeper into the dark corridors. Some loners still crossed their path, but they were easier to kill; their power was in numbers.

Riley leaned on a wall, unable to put any pressure on his wounded leg. He could feel blood in his mouth and every breath caused a spike of pain, signaling broken ribs, possibly cracked in and piercing his lungs.

"We need to hide", he hissed and Buffy looked around frantically, long lost in the tunnels. This was vampire territory, one she didn't explore unless she really had to.

Her senses were overloaded and she didn't foresee the vamp that jumped her from above, landing on her back and dislocating her right shoulder with a loud crack. She picked the stake with her left, crying sharply; Riley threw his backpack at the demon, distracting it, and she managed to dust it with pure luck, muscle memory letting her hit the heart in the darkness.

They entered a smaller tunnel, panting deeply, shying away from howls echoing behind them. "This is bad", she whispered, then felt a tuck on her shirt as Riley pointed out a small door hidden in a nook. Buffy kicked it in, feeling her own injuries, then hurried Riley through, barricading the entrance behind him.

It was an unused control room, cluttered with old office equipment, a single miraculously fluttering lightbulb barely lighting the space. She sat the soldier by the wall before her senses picked up on another presence, too close to be avoided.

"There's one here", she realized, grabbing her last stake. She couldn't see behind a tall storage cabinet in the corner and approached it apprehensively, shielding Riley away. If she couldn't ambush the demon, maybe she could slow it down enough to grant her boyfriend a chance at escaping.

As she rounded the locker, a weak growl reached her ears. She jumped behind it ready for a kill, then stopped abruptly, recognizing the yellow eyes of the vampire hidden behind it.

"Spike?" She put her stake down, noticing his pitiful shape. He was badly beaten, bleeding from his mouth, and must've been at the end of the road if he decided to hide instead of fighting.

"Slayer." He shook off his game face and put his head against the wall. "Now that's fitting." He chuckled lightly, but ended coughing up more blood.

Her last blast of adrenaline wore out and she dropped to the floor heavily, clutching the stake in one working hand. Her whole body hurt and with Spike half-dead himself, possible outcomes only differed in how fast they would be killed.

"What happened?", she asked weakly. The most reckless vampire she knew hiding behind a closet, a super-soldier barely conscious on the floor, and a Slayer with a dislocated shoulder and no strength left. It sounded like the beginning of a very crude joke.

"Some wankers shot me with a tracer." Spike breathed deeply, unable to move from his spot. "Got it removed, then followed their scent here. Thought I could get some scoop, but couldn't take on all the minions they unleashed." He frowned at the soldier. "You on a date?"

"Commandos decided to send me to pasture." She couldn't believe she fell for that recon story. "How long have you been hiding?"

"Half an hour, maybe." His healing didn't kick in since? "But they won't follow my scent, unlike you-" He was interrupted by a loud thud on the door, shaking their makeshift fortification.

Spike closed his eyes. "We're done for."

"Not yet." Buffy scanned the room for anything that could be used as a weapon. "Riley, can you fight?"

"Negative." He laid down on the floor and spoke sluggishly, panting between words. "My ribs... knee... It doesn't look good." Moving his head around, he could almost see who Buffy was talking to before, a glimpse of bleached hair and black leather. "Is that... Hostile 17..?"

"Spike got here before us", she explained tiredly. And if he was so battered...

"You _know_ him?"

She looked at the ceiling, gritting her teeth through another aching spasm. "We go back. Save your strength."

Spike snorted, but it didn't carry his usual energy. "Won't do him any good, Slayer." He paused to spit out more blood. "I always knew I'd go out fighting. Didn't account for the company, but it could be worse."

Riley spoke up before she could protest. "I hate to say this... but I'm out of ideas here. No comms, no weapons... They knew what they were doing. The Initiative never fails."

"Shut up." Their circumstances were dire, but she wouldn't give up just because they said so. "There must be a way." She could hear heavy steps near their hideout, forcing her to think despite the nauseating pain.

They were not going to sit around, waiting to be killed, no matter how hopeless it seemed. This was not the day to make her mother cry, to break her promise to Giles, perish while trapped in a disgusting sewer, ripped apart by doped vampires.

We're not dying here. We're not dying here. We're not dying here... _Doped vampires?_

"Spike." She turned her head to him, his face a giant bruise. "How fast can you regenerate?"

He arched an eyebrow, thinking she'd know better. "Need at least a few hours we don't have." She felt she needed a week, but this was her last resolve.

"Not how I meant."

It was hasty and frantic, and she wouldn't even consider it was she alone, but...

Spike didn't stir and she recognized the expression in his eyes - hunger.

"You're too badly hurt." Buffy frowned; why would he care about that? After what she just offered?

"Just so I'm still conscious. Would that make enough of a difference?" He liked the look of desperation on her face.

She was barely alive, but Spike remembered what Slayers' blood did to him, how powerful it was. And after feeding on pig slush for weeks...

"It should. At least so I can fend them off till daybreak."

The soldier roused, not following the exchange. "What are you... talking about?"

Buffy sighed heavily, bracing herself. "Increasing our survival rate. Now look away." She extended her hand out to Spike. "Knock yourself out."

He grabbed her arm eagerly, cold fingers feeling the pulse on her wrist. "No foreplay?", he asked lightly and she scoffed at his sick sense of humor.

"Get on with it." He changed into game face and took one last look at her stern expression.

"Next time then. Now hold still, don't give me a migraine."

"Don't make me regret this." She felt cold lips graze her skin before he bit her.

She gasped at the sensation, then looked straight ahead when he drank slowly, mindful of the chip firing had he caused her any pain. It took seconds for hot Slayer blood to hit his throat, working almost instantly, temporarily stacking their powers. It wouldn't heal him immediately, but could grant him enough energy to push through the pain and kill their remaining enemies.

Riley wished he looked away.

Buffy fought to stay awake, knowing how easily a bite could render her helpless, but Spike stopped before she yanked her hand away, licking the wound close. She didn't count on it not hurting and when he released her, the skin on her wrist wasn't torn or bruised.

She looked at him feebly, not expecting him to control himself like that. They might stand a chance after all.

Spike was better already, picking himself up and shaking off the rush of violent excitement. He moved to the door when Buffy reached up for him, so fragile he almost felt bad.

"You shouldn't stand up yet", he muttered, but took her hand anyway, admiring her will to live.

"I know." She looked to her side, right arm still limp. "It's my shoulder."

"Oh, right." She couldn't do it herself and her army candy has been reduced to a deadweight. He kneeled down and propped her against his chest, then quickly pushed the joint back into its socket. She hissed sharply, grabbing his coat, then took a deep breath, relaxing her grip.

Riley watched from the sides, stinging pain hitting him with every breath, appalled at how delicately the vampire was handling her, examining her arm. He couldn't grasp their dynamics - how long did they know each other? - and hated himself for being so useless right now, for being only human.

"If you run away now, I will stake you", Buffy warned and Spike sneered, straightening himself up, ready for battle.

"I'd love to get away, pet. Can't."

He broke through the pathetic barricade and the sounds of vicious fighting could be heard from behind the doors. Riley looked attentively at Buffy, applying pressure at her wrist with her now functional hand.

"Why do you... trust him?", he asked slowly, regretfully aware of how he failed them both.

"I don't." She looked at him briefly and he realized he was talking to the Slayer now, all of her actions aligned to ensure their survival.

He was ready to die here and she crossed another bridge to grant them a few more minutes. He wasn't sure if it was justified though, not by that cost.

"Before he leaves, he should thin their ranks enough so we can pull through." Her voice was so confident he wanted to follow, yet couldn't get over the scene he just witnessed.

"He fed off you." He made it sound dirty and Buffy would've felt a pang of guilt if it wasn't their last shot of getting out of here alive.

"He didn't take that much." The wound already stopped oozing, but bite marks never healed well. "Slayer blood works the fastest, my healing won't hit until at least an hour."

She sounded harsh and technical, forced to take an insane out. And though nothing else should matter, he couldn't stop his frantic thoughts from breaking through.

"It's not your first time." They were both too exhausted to hide anything.

"No. But I'd rather not talk about it." Her history with vampires, a sore subject if there was ever one.

"We might die here. What better moment?"

"That's just... my life." She listened to the outside noises, waiting for her strength to return. "The Master had me under a thrall, bit me before I drowned. And... I also let Angel do it later, to save him." I forced him to. "You saw the scar."

They were silent for a moment, but even though speaking took a lot of his effort, he had to get it out. "It's all relative to you, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" She didn't care for subtleties anymore and Riley couldn't shake the feeling she wasn't even that affected, as if it was just another weapon in her arsenal.

He gathered his thoughts, turning towards her with struggle. "'Cause now... I don't know if I can forgive you."

That hurt. It wasn't more important than getting them out of here, but it hurt.

"It won't matter until this works." She could hear the ongoing fight and it was making her hopeful.

Riley leaned back on the floor, apprehensive. "How do you know Hostile 17?"

"He's a giant pain in the ass." She actually smiled at that, and it made him mad. "Always around."

"Seemed rather handsy to me."

"Yeah, but his instincts are on point." She tested her right arm further, throbs of pain diminishing. "Wouldn't make it for so long if they weren't."

"Just like yours, then." Why was he pushing on this?

Buffy threw him an annoyed look. "We're nothing alike."

She could move more easily now and crawled to his side, cradling his face. "Can I do anything about your knee?"

"Not really." He winced in pain, calculating his chances. "You should just leave me behind. Save yourself."

She frowned at him, catching his hand. "I am _not_ doing that."

* * *

She flinched when the doors shuttered again, but it was Spike getting back inside. He looked even worse than before, covered in cuts, his clothes tattered, but with the maniacal leer he always had after a brutal win.

"Back for seconds?" She asked sourly and he extended a hand to her.

"Got them nice and proper, thanks to you." He pulled her up steadily, then glanced at the soldier on the floor.

"Cornboy still kicking? Shame." Buffy rolled her eyes, no longer distracted by ominous demon presence; it seemed Spike got them all.

"I came through the entrance in the forest, but it's a long way from here. Know any shortcuts?"

Spike paused, thinking back to the underground layout. "We could get to the factory through the tunnels." Her face brightened when she turned to Riley.

"Hear that, honey? We're getting out. Come on." She helped him up with strain, somehow certain asking Spike to carry him would be too much. Riley leaned on her heavily, one leg still useless, and Spike stepped away, unable to look at how tenderly she touched him.

It was just her blood cruising in him, making him possessive, he told himself. Urging him to finish the job, nothing else.

He led the way through the tunnels, seeing every detail in the darkness, sensing for residue dangers, but it was quiet around them now. They reached the abandoned factory and when Buffy grunted, pulling Riley up the ladder, Spike gave in impatiently, grabbing the boy from her and forcing him through. It was just faster that way.

"I've got the signal back." The soldier sat on the floor, holding his radio. Spike reached down to take Buffy's hand and met her eyes when she emerged, but she looked right away.

"Base One, this is Lilac One." Riley awaited a reply. "Requesting backup at-" Buffy jumped at him suddenly, taking the device out of his hand and cutting the message off.

"Don't give them this location." Spike glanced up curiously from under a pillar, trying to light a crushed cigarette. "It's daylight and he just saved our lives. You're not telling them that."

"Buffy..." Riley was appalled, looking up from where she straddled him, her face firm. "He's a monster that escaped from the Initiative. You wish to protect the enemy now?"

"I want to be even with him. We would be long dead if he couldn't compromise." She passed him the radio, moving away. "It has a GPS tracker, doesn't it? Let's get out, call them from afar. Let them know they failed."

She bent down to grab his hand, but he shook her away, standing up by himself. "I can't believe you're serious about this." He limped out of the building, not looking back.

"Get out of here as soon as you can", Buffy whispered, but Spike already moved behind her, disappearing into the sewers. She closed her eyes for a minute, moral shades of grey blurring her judgment, then followed Riley out, confident in her decision.


End file.
